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Study of Habitat and Population of Endangered Gavialis Gangeticus in Narayani River of Chitwan National Park, Nepal

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Study of Habitat and Population of Endangered Gavialis Gangeticus in Narayani River of Chitwan National Park, Nepal Study of Habitat and Population of Endangered Gavialis gangeticus in Narayani River of Chitwan National Park, Nepal Sunil L Rajbhandari, Principal Investigator Paras M Acharya, Co-Investigator 1st Phase Final Report submitted to The Rufford Small Grants Foundation, UK 28 March, 2013 1 Acknowledgement Our sincere thanks go to THE RUFFORD FOUNDATION, Small Grants Program, and U.K. for the funding of the 1st phase research. The authors would like to express their sincere thanks to the following institutions and individuals for their valuable support: Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) for granting permission to carry out this research in Chitwan National Park (CNP) Megh Bahadur Pandey, Director-General, DNPWC Krishna Acharya, Former Director-General, DNPWC Phanendra Kharel, Chief Warden, CNP Jhamak B Karki, Former Chief Warden, CNP Prativa Rajbhandari, Jawalakhel Kunta Adhikari, Bhaktapur Ram Prit Yadav, Coordinator/TAL/WWF Pradeep Khanal, TAL/WWF Maheshwor Dhakal, Ecologist, DNPWC Bishnu Thapaliya, Assistant Conservation Officer Amir Maharjan, Assistant Warden, Sauraha, CNP Bhumi R Upadhaya, Assisstant Warden, Amaltari Western Sector, CNP Santosh Bhagat, Ranger, DNPWC Naresh Subedi, Chief, Nepal Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) Bed B Khadka, Assistant Warden, Gharial Breeding Centre, CNP Mahesh Pathak, GIS Expert, Nepal Engineering College Megh R Giri, Senior Game Scout, Laukhani Post, CNP Rishi Bhurtel, Game Scout, Laukhani Post, CNP Ram Nath Yadav, Game Scout, Giddeni Post, CNP Padam Mahato, Game Scout, Giddeni Post, CNP 2 Ram Sewak Yadav, Game Scout, Kujouli Post, CNP Santosh Dotel Jha, Game Scout, Kujouli Post, CNP Tula Ram Mahato, Game Scout, Dibyapuri Post, CNP Bhim Shrestha, Game Scout, Dibyapuri Post, CNP Sukaram Darai, Game Scout, Laukhani Post, CNP Basanta Lamichhane, Game Scout, Amaltari Sector, CNP Bhim R Sedai, Game Scout, Amaltari Sector, CNP Juthhe Ram Bote, Gharial Project, Amaltari, CNP Sante Bote, Gharial Project, Amaltari, CNP Army posts of Dibyapuri, Bandarjolla Island, Amaltari, Seri and Bagwan Fishermen of Crocodile Project Local community/Forest users Elephant Drivers of Giddeni, Kujouli and Dibyapuri Island Jungle Resort 3 Acronyms CITES Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species CNP Chitwan National Park DNPWC Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation GBC Gharial Breeding Center GCA Gharial Conservation Alliance IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature NTNC Nepal Trust for Nature Conservation TAL Terai Arc Landscape WWF Worldwide Fund for Nature 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. Acknowledgement ------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 Acronyms ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Abstract ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6-8 Study Area --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8-9 Methodology---------------------------------------------------------------------------10-13 Results ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13-17 Discussion --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 Conclusion and recommendations ----------------------------------------------- 19 References ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20-21 5 Abstract A study carried out in Narayani River of Chitwan National Park from 2012 to 2013 to investigate the habitats and abundances of the gharials has recorded the total number of 38 gharials including 3 hatchlings, 8 juveniles, 12 sub-adults and 15 adults. Only one breeding male was observed reflecting the critical condition for the breeding in the wild within Chitwan Nation Park. The abundance of the gharial was restricted in 2 areas, namely Khoria Muhan and Bhelaugi due to suitability of the habitat conditions and minimum human disturbances. The Basking activities in relation to depth showed that > 80 % of the gharials selected sandy banks. Among the 2 populations, the gharials in Khoria Muhan preferred shallow to moderate depth of water because of presence of braided channels in the area. In contrast, the gharials in Bhelaugi select deep water course of the main channel. The park management must adopt conservation measures such as ban of fishing and regular monitoring of habitats and population to maintain long term conservation of gharials in Narayani River. Introduction Background The Crocodile (Family Crocodylidae) is a large aquatic tetrapod that lives throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Lizards, snakes and crocodiles are all scaled diapsids but crocodiles are archosaurs which means they are genetically closer to birds and the extinct dinosaurs. Crocodylidae is classified as a biological family. The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia which includes the crocodiles of Crocodylidae, the alligators and caimans (family Alligatoridae) and the gharials (family Gavialidae), and the rest of Crocodylomorpha, which includes prehistoric crocodile relatives and ancestors. Crocodiles tend to congregate in freshwater habitats such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in brackish water. They feed mostly on vertebrates (fish, reptiles, and mammals), and sometimes on invertebrates (molluscs and crustaceans), depending on species. They first appeared during the Eocene epoch, about 55 million years ago. Ecology and Natural History The Gharial is characterised by its extremely long, thin jaws, one of the largest of the living crocodilians (males up to 6 m, and average weight of around 160 kg). The species is the only member of the Family Gavialidae, although recent molecular evidence suggests that Tomistoma schlegelii also belongs to this family (Densmore 1983; Willis et al. 2007). The Gharial is the most thoroughly aquatic of the extant crocodilians, and adults apparently do not have the ability to walk in a semi-upright stance as other crocodilians do (Bustard and Singh 1978; Whitaker and Basu 1983). Adult males grow a bulbous nasal appendage, which resembles an Indian pot called a ‘ghara’, from which the species derives its name. 6 Historically, G. gangeticus was found in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, in the Indus (Pakistan), Ganges (India and Nepal), Mahanadi (India) and Brahmaputra (Bangladesh, India and Bhutan) River systems. The presence of the species in the Irrawaddy River system in Myanmar has also been reported (Smith 1931) (Fig. 1). The Gharial is typically a resident of flowing rivers with deep pools that have high sand banks and good fish stocks (Whitaker and Basu 1983; GCA 2008). Exposed sand banks are used for nesting. Although the function of the ‘ghara’ is not well understood, it is apparently used as a visual sex indicator, as a sound resonator, or for bubbling or other associated sexual behaviors (Martin and Bellairs 1977). Figure 1: Distributional range of gharial Source: Stevenson, C. and Whitaker, R. (2010) Gharial was previously present in all the gangetic plain in several countries of South-East Asia – Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar (ex-Burma), India, Nepal and Bangladesh. In the 1940's, gharial population was estimated from 5000 to 10000 individuals. It declined to 150-200 individuals in the 1960's principally due to habitat destruction and uncontrolled exploitation. It's now only present in India and Nepal, about 2000 individuals in India and 81 in Nepal. Status of gharial in Nepal Gharial conservation began in 1971 in Nepal with the help of the Frankfurt Zoological Society. It consists of population reintroduction by egg collection, gharial breeding and juvenile release. Until now, nearly 700 individuals were released in 4 different rivers of Nepal (Andrews and Mc Achernar, 1994; DNPWC, 2005). The gharial crocodile (Gavialis gangeticus) is a globally threatened and endangered reptilian species of Nepal. It is included as endangered in IUCN red list category and Appendix I by CITES. The natural population of gharial in the world is estimated at about 200 of which remnant population of about 80 was 7 estimated recently by the government of Nepal. The gharials are found in the Narayani, Rapti, Babai and Karnali rivers of Nepal which are under tremendous threats from human disturbances such as overfishing, grazing, dam construction and over-exploitation of natural resources. Objectives The overall objectives of the study is to strengthen the gharial conservation in Nepal through the understanding of critical habitats, population, nesting ecology and in raising the public awareness with active participation of local communities to maintain viable population of gharial. The specific objectives are: 1) assess the population status of Gavialis gangeticus in Narayani river; 2) assess the habitat utilization by gharials; 3) prepare GIS maps of distribution and habitat; 4) raise the level of awareness on gharial conservation among the local communities. Rationale The gharial is one of the key predators of the Narayani river system which helps in maintaining the health of the river and biotic integrity. The species is protected by Nepal Government under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973. The population of gharial crocodile in the Narayani is estimated at 44 (DNPWC, 2011). This remnant fragmented population is under continuous pressure from different
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